Innersole lining for shoes



Dc. 23, 1958 H. c. VOLLRATH, JR, l-n'AL INNE soLE LINING FOR SHOES Filed May 16, 1956 IN VEN TOR. Harry G. Vo/lrath Jr. and BY Ruth Eloise Comer:

ATTORNEYS.

INNERSOLE LINING FOR SHOES Harry C. Vollrath, .l'r. and Ruth Eloise Comer, Kansas City, Mo.; said Vollrath assignor to said Comer Application May 16, M56, Serial No. 585,203 1 Claim. (Cl. 30-43) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in linings for the inside of solesrof shoes including shoes having open toes or those of sandal type. They are applicable to mens, womens and childrens shoes. They may be placed in the shoes by the manufacturer as its sock lining when he constructs the shoe, or may be fit and inserted later as a slip-in liner.

It is well known that ladies in wearing their shoes, often wear such shoes without hose or foot coverings of any character. In such instances, perspiration will very quickly deteriorate the inner sole of the shoes and they are also uncomfortable to the wearer.

Various types of coverings for the toes and fore part of the foot, as well as all of the foot, have been devised, sometimes referred to as Peds, but these types of coverings soil quickly and roll on the foot and are unsightly and uncomfortable to wear.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a lining for the inner sole of a shoe which may be quickly fitted to the shoe and which will be comfortable to wear. This liner is to be used on the inside sole of the shoe and not around the foot as a ped or stocking.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a sole which may be fitted to the shoe and effectively inserted into the shoe and held securely in place therein; to provide the sole with a strip of adhesive material throughout its length at substantially the center thereof, the strip being provided with a double face of adhesive coating so that one face may adhere to the inner sole; to provide a protective cover for applying to the other adhesive face of the strip until the sole is ready to be inserted in the shoe to protect the adhesive so that it will adhere to the sole of a shoe when it is inserted therein; and to provide a device of this character simple and eco nomical to manufacture.

Our new sock lining material can be supplied in sheeted form. it may be between one-half to one and one-half iron in thickness. It may be a thin flexible plastic foam, either foamed thermo-plastics (i. e. vinyls) or foamed thermosetting (i. e. flexible urethanes) having an inter connected cellular structure. would be laminated on one side a material (natural or synthetic) either a fabric or a paper-derivative material 01 other soft material as cottonwhich We have found very satisfactory for our purpose.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, as hereinafter pointed out, wehave provided an improved structure the preferred form ofwhich is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a bottom plan view of our invention showing the strip of adhesive material and the protective covering thereon. i

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom of the sole' with the strips of covering material partly removedto illustrate the adhesive side of the strip.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on a line 3-3, Pig. 1. t l

To this plastic sheeting- Fig. 4 is a modified form of the invention showing two soles adhered together with blotches of adhesive material facing each other.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a sole or covering for the inner sole of a shoe shaped to conform somewhat to the inside of the shoe and which may be cut to the exact shape after a purchaser selects the desired size to be worn, as shown in Fig. 2.

The base of the sole, or material from which the base is made, is a soft, porous, heat resistant, moisture absorbent material as indicated at 2. We have found that foamed thermo-plastics (i. e. vinyls) and foamed thermo-setting (i. e. flexible urethanes) having an inter connected cellular structure from one to two iron thickness are suitable for our purpose. The use of the word plastic in the following text refers to these types of material. Laminated to one side of the plastic 2 is a facing 3 of material (natural or synthetic) either a fabric or a paper-derivative material or other soft material such as very thin flannel or the like, although we do not wish to be limited to any particular material. We have, how- 'ever, found the polished cotton laminated on the upper face of the liner to be very suitable for our purpose. The material faces upwardly in the shoe to contact the foot of the user.

A strip of material 4 is secured longitudinally substantially through the center of the plastic side of the material and is provided with adhesive on both sides of the material as indicated at 5 and 6, Fig. 3, so that the strip will adhere to the plastic material when placed thereon. We also provide a pair of covering strips as indicated at 7 and 8 for protecting the adhesive coating 5 until the sole is to be inserted in the shoe. These strips may be of any suitable material such as paper, or the like, and while the adhesive 5 will hold the strips on the strip 4, the .strips may also be provided with an adhesive as indicated at 9 and it) if desired.

When it is desired to use one of the liners and place it in the shoe, the liner is cut to the desired shape of the shoe sole (Fig. 2) in which it is to be placed and the cover strips 9 and lit removed therefrom. The liner is then placed in the shoe with the adhesive coating material 5 placed downwardly so that it will adhere to the sole of the shoe and retain the same in place, thus preventing slipping of the liner inside of the shoe and be comfortable to the wearer. it will be obvious this adhesive strip on the liner must be very thin so as to not be uncomfortable to the wearer. When the liner is placed in the shoe it is pressed smoothly into place and the adhesive will hold the same thereto throughout its length.

In Fig. 4 we have illustrated a modified form of our invention, wherein the two soles 11 and 12 are placed one on top of the other, bottom to bottom. In this form of our invention we place an adhesive on the heel portion of the plastic material as indicated at 13 and 14 and like adhesive 15 and 16 on the toe portion of the material for detaining the pair of liners in adhered relation to each other until they are ready to be placed in After the liners are cut to the desired size the liners may be removed one from the other by starting at either end of the liner or at the middle if desired. The liners are then placed in the shoe and pressed firmly in place as in the preferred form of the invention, the adhesive retaining the liners in place in the shoe.

It will be obvious that other forms of our invention which provides a disposable, replaceable, slip-in liner for the purpose of making shoes more comfortable to wear without hose or stockings may be utilized without departing from the spirit of our invention." It will further be obvious that the liners will protect bare feet from leather burns, eliminate friction and when stockings are used the stockings will wear longer. Care should be taken in trimming the liner to fit the shoe to prevent the sides or ends from extending up on the sides or lining of the shoe.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that we have provided an improved slip-in liner for attachment to the inside soles of shoes for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent A slip-in liner for a shoe comprising, a layer of plastic material of approximately one and one-half iron thickness and of substantially the size of the inside of the sole of said shoe, a thin layer of unsized cotton material of the same size of said plastic material, means securing said cotton material to said plastic material to form a one-piece structure, a narrow strip of thin material extending longitudinally of the plastic material side of said liner, said strip having an adhesive coating material on both sides thereof, a removable layer of protective cover- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,905,909 Keiser Apr. 25, 1933 2,284,164 Porter May 26, 1942 2,292,556 Whitman Aug. 11, 1942 2,404,731 Johnson July 23, 1946 2,572,670 Schwartz Oct. 23, 1951 2,635,363 Dorgin Apr. 21, 1953 

